Prawn pulav

Ingredients 

( Serves 5-7 people)

1. Oil – 3 tbsp
2. Cumin seeds – half tsp
3. Pepper corns – 6-10
4. Bay leaves – 2-3
5. Cloves – 4-5
6. Cinnamon – 1 piece
7. Cardamom – 3-4
8. Ginger – 1 inch piece
9. Garlic – 6 cloves
10. Green Chilli – 2 
11. Onion – 2 Medium 
12. Turmeric powder – half tsp
13. Red Chilli Powder – 1 tbsp
14. Tomato – 1 – small
15. Coriander leaves – half cup 
16. Prawn – 500 Gm;s – Cleaned
17. Long white rice – 2 cups (Soaked in water for 20-30 minutes)
18. Water - 3 cups
19. Coconut Milk – 1 cup
20. Salt- As needed

Procedure

1. Cut green chillies, ginger, onion and tomato into small pieces.
2. Heat oil in a pan and fry the spices ( cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, cardamom, pepper corns) for 30 to 40 seconds
3. Add onion pieces and fry till it is golden brown
4. Add ginger and garlic and green chilli and fry for 1 minute
5. Add turmeric and red chilly powder and continue frying for 90 seconds
6. Add tomato pieces and fry for another minute. Add salt as necessary.
7. Add prawns and cook for 2 minutes
8. Add rice and mix well.
9. Add coriander leaves
10. Add water, and coconut milk – Mix well, and cook in low flame with lid closed till the rice is cooked
11. Yummy prawn pulav is ready to be served hot with raita

Note:

Recipe and pic courtesy: My husband Madhu who prepared this pulav and it turned out to be very yummy!

Ghee rice

Ingredients

1. Rice (Jeeraka shala or biriyani) - 1 cup
2. Spices
1. Cardamom - 3
2. Cloves - 2
3. Cinnamon - 1 inch stick
4. Bay leaf - 1
5. Pepper pod - 1 tsp
3. Onion - 1 medium
4. Ghee - 2 tbsp
5. Cashew nuts - 8
6. Raisins - 8
7. Lime juice - 1 tsp
8. Water - 1.5 cup

Procedure

1. Clean the rice and soak for 15 minutes
2. Cut onion into thin pieces lengthwise
3. Heat ghee deep pan 
4. Fry raisins and remove and keep aside
5. Fry cashews and remove and keep aside
6. Fry half of the onions till it is brown. Remove and keep aside.
7. Fry the spices 
8. Add remaining onion and fry till raw smell goes away
9. Add rice to this and fry for 5 minutes.
10. In a pressure cooker, boil water and required salt.
11. Add the rice into the pressure cooker and cook the rice.
12. Add lime juice.
13. When the steam is completely released, open the cooker
14. Fluff the rice. Move into a serving bowl and add fried cashews, raisins and onion.
15. Yummy ghee rice is ready to be served with mutta curry or chicken curry or peas curry and raita

Methi chicken

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 1/2 Kg
2. Methi leaves - 2 cup
3. Onion - 2 medium
4. Tomato - 2
5. Curd - 1 cup
6. Giger garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp
7. Green chilli - 2
8. Jeera / Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
9. Turmeric - 1 tsp
10. Fennel seeds - 0.5 tbsp
11. Red chilli powder - 1.5 tbsp
12. Coriander powder - 1.5 tbsp
13. Garam masala powder - 0.5 tbsp
14. Coriander leaves - 1 bunch
15. Water - 1 cup
16. Oil

Procedure

1. Clean and cut chicken in small pieces
2. Marinate chicken with turmeric, salt and 2 tbsp of curd for 30 minutes
3. Cut onion, tomato and green chillies into small pieces
4. In a pan, heat oil
5. Splutter jeera and fennel seeds.
6. Add onion and fry till it has browned
7. Add ginger garlic paste and green chillies and stir till the raw smell goes away.
8. Add tomato, close and cook till tomato becomes mushy
9. Add turmeric, red chilli and coriander powder and fry for few seconds
10. Add whisked curd to this and stir for another few seconds
11. Add chicken and fenugreek leaves and salt
12. Add water to this.
13. Cover and cook for 10 minutes
14. Add garam masala and coriander leaves and mix well
15. Cook for another 5 minutes or till the required consistency is got
16. Yummy methi chicken is ready to served with rice or chappathi.

Palada pradhaman / payasam

Ingredients

1. Palada - 1/3 cup
2. Sugar - 1/2 cup
3. Milk - 4.5 cups (1 litre)
4. Cardamom powder - 0.5 tbp
5. Cashew - 10
6. Raisins - 5
7. Ghee - 2 tbsp
8. Water - 2 cups

Procedure

1. Boil water
2. Add palada into it and allow it to boil for 10 minutes.
3. Wash  the palada in cold water 2-3 times.
4. In a pan heat the ghee, roast the cashews and raisins and keep them aside
5. In a deep pan, add milk, palada and sugar and boil for 30 minutes in medium flame.
6. Add cardamom powder
7. When the palada is completely cooked and the required consistency is got, add the cashews and raisins and remove from heat.
8. Yummy palada payasam is ready to be served with boli. 

Chicken thoran

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gm
2. Shallot - 25- 30
3. Onion - 2 medium
4. Garlic - 6 cloves
5. Ginger - 1 inch
6. Green chillies - 2
7. Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
8. Red chilli powder - 1.5 tbsp
9. Garam masala powder - 0.5 tsp
10. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
11. Pepper powder - 0.5 tsp
12. Mustard - 1 tsp
13. Oil - 3 tbsp
14. Salt
15. Curry leaves - 1 twig

Procedure

1. Clean and cut chicken into small pieces
2. Slice onions thinly.
3. Pulse shallot, ginger and garlic in a mixie into a coarse mixture and keep aside
4. Pulse grated coconut, green chillies, red chilli powder and turmeric powder
5. In a pan, heat oil.
6. Splutter mustard.
7. Add crushed shallot, ginger garlic combination and curry leaves. Stir till shallot becomes brown.
8. Add half of the sliced onion into this and stir till it becomes soft.
9. Add chicken and remaining onion to this.
10. Close and cook for 8-10 minutes. Chicken will be almost cooked by now.
11. Add garam masala, salt and pepper to this and cook for another 5 minutes.
12. Add crushed coconut mixture to this and cook for 5 minutes.
13. Add curry leaves and drizzle oil and cook till it becomes dark brown in colour and completely dry.
14. Yummy chicken thoran can be served with rice or chappathi.

Nadan chicken curry

Ingredients

1. Chicken - 500 gms (approximately)
2. Ginger - 1 inch
3. Garlic - 5 cloves
4. Green chillies - 1
5. Red chilli powder - 1.5 tbsp
6. Coriander powder - 1.5 tbsp
7. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
8. Garam masala - 0.5 tbsp
9. Shallot - 25-30
10. Onion - 2 medium
11. Tomato - 1 medium
12. Curry leaves - 3 twigs
13. Water 
14. Oil 
15. Coconut milk - 1 cup

To marinate

1. Red chilli powder - 0.5 tbsp
2. Pepper powder - 0.5 tbsp
3. Ginger / garlic paste - 1 tbsp
4. Salt

Procedure

1. Clean and cut chicken into medium small pieces.
2. Marinate with the ingredients mentioned under "To marinate"
3. Keep it aside for 30 minutes
4. Thinly slice onion, shallots.
5. Cut ginger and garlic into small pieces.
6. Slit green chillies lengthwise
7. In a pan, heat oil 
8. Add shallot and stir for few minutes
9. When shallot start turning brown, add ginger, garlic, curry leaves and green chillies
10. When the raw smell leaves, add onion and stir and cook closed till it has become soft
11. Add red chilli, coriander, turmeric and garam masala powder. Stir till it becomes aromatic.
12. Add tomato cut to small pieces. Cook till tomato has become mush.
13. Now, add chicken pieces.
14. Add enough water. Close the pan and cook for 10 minutes
15. At this stage, add coconut milk.
16. Let the curry cook for another 5 minutes.
17. Add some more curry leaves and drizzle remanning oil.
18. Yummy nadan chicken curry is ready to be served with rice or chappathi